The Path of Redemption
by Crow113
Summary: What happens when your name wasn't supposed to come up? Death works in mysterious ways, and she's found respect in a dead mans final actions. When his name wasn't on her list, she decided to give him a second chance. Yondu Udonta is about to be faced with a long, arduous path. With Lady Death as his personal sponsor, he's got to tread lightly if he plans to find his way.
1. Deaths Gift

Death was easier than he'd expected. He supposed that being at peace had a lot to do with it. When he had messed up more than he didn't, dying for someone you loved was a lot easier than living with regrets. Yondu Udonta had left his mark. Not a bad way to be remembered. Of course, in the unpredictable vacuum of space, sometimes strange things happened.

Take for example, the fact that, though he had been set to stardust, Udonta was contemplating the nature of his own death. Or perhaps even the fact that he could feel warmth on his face. Anywhere else, these things might have been unusual. But the Universe? Well, she had other plans.

Now, as such things go, he had little control over just where it was she was taking him. Nor did he honestly know she was taking him anywhere, but a body moves far easier as stardust than it does a whole. Past the death and rebirth of planets. Through starlight and darkness. Beyond what it meant to be living, and what it was to be dead. She carried him, against the drag of time. One last chance. One last moment. Why? Well there would never be any way of knowing, but that was half the fun wasn't it?

When he opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the blazing light of a sun. A single great burning ball in the sky over his head, framed by golden stalks edging into his line of sight. Had he not just been contemplating his own heroics, Yondu might have just chalked it up to a night of heavy drinking. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd found himself sprawled in a strange location with a pounding headache. However, he did wake with a very clear memory of breathlessness and biting cold.

Besides that, his arrow was missing. The ground around him was littered with various items. Lilies, trinkets, ribbons and medals. His funeral rights. Honors. So he was dead? Then where was he now? It sure as hell wasn't heaven, if you believed in that.

So, if he had died and this was indeed the life after… what the hell did he do now? People always made it seem as though you actually had a damn clue.

Ruby eyes squinted upward, and for the smallest moment he almost closed his them again.

Everything was still. Not a breath of wind. He didn't even hear anything. Not one sound. For a man most accustomed to the drone of engines it left an uneasy feeling in his chest. At least aboard the Eclector, he was surrounded by the sound of his ship. The men chattered and joked and laughed and fought. There was never just silence. This was the sort that would make your ears ring. Almost to the point he was sure that had he in fact been alive, he might have heard the flow of his own blood through his veins. Was that a dull ebb and flow he could make out? Or just the empty settle of nothing?

"Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to gather someone who's been turned to dust?" A soft voice questioned. Yondu's head turned to one side, a frown plastered immediately upon his face. Who the hell was that. "Honestly, it's barbaric!" The female's voice sounded irritated.

"The hell d'yeh want from me? 'M Dead!" The Azure male protested, blinking in an effort to see the hazy outline of the woman . Or what he could assume was a woman. Draped in a dark cloak that seemed to glitter with the depths of a black hole, the figure did not turn to face him.

" Do not /sass/ me," She stated bluntly, " Had it been any others choice you'd of remained /dead/ Yondu Udonta."

Even though the world around him focused up a little more, he still struggled to make her edges clear.

" You made a choice that you would not have in life before, and for that I'm allowing you a second chance. DO NOT squander this chance."

He was confused even more so than he had been before. Second Chance? What the hell did that mean!? Yondu grunted, trying to sit up but his body refused to cooperate. Instead he felt numb. Even wiggling his fingers seemed impossible. Actually, if he was being honest his whole body burned at the attempt of movement. The Centaurian fell flat against the ground again, features twisted.

" I did say I had to gather you from Star Dust, didn't I?" She mused with a snort, " It's going to take a bit for your body to start working properly again. That's what happens when you let them do that."

" Ain't got no damn idea what yer talkin about. Where the hell am I?" Yondu glared holes through the woman's back.

"Well you're obviously set on being dead. So let's call this your after life," Sarcasm laced those words and he could almost see the sneer.

" What do yeh mean? Yer bein sarcastic."

" Of course I am you stubborn man!" He could see her head shake through the loose folds of the hood, " I told you. This is your second chance."

Everything was quiet again. Who the hell did she think she was? People didn't just come back from the dead. That ain't how this worked.

" You were not supposed to die, we had not even anticipated that you would show. And we technically only accounted for one death. We got that with Ego instead of Peter. To be fair it was a far greater exchange. I only get one or two of these every few lifetimes. Do not waste my efforts."

"Course I'd show. Couldn't let that bastard just kill him now could I? Raised that boy with my own hands. Ain't that much of a dick…" Yondu mumbled.

That earned a chuckle.

" Live well Yondu Udonta, Make wise choices. We will meet again. I can only hope the next time it will be when you are ready."

With that, she flickered like a dying flame and disappeared. He was damn near more confused than he had been before!


	2. Get Back Up

Laying there in the dirt watching the golden tassels of the long grass sway in wake of her presence he found no answers. As much as he would have liked some epiphany to come to him, the Centaurian knew that he was only wasting precious time laying there. Now it was only a matter of actually moving. With his body numb it seemed like a daunting task. Taxing at best.

Yondu grumbled to himself as he began to fuss a little. He managed to roll himself over onto his knees and sit upright. Wrong answer!

Everything came to a blinding pinpoint of excruciating pain. It was like every fiber of every muscle chose that very moment to cramp. Almost enough to suck the air from his lungs. Actually he couldn't breathe at all for a moment as his chest tightened to the point he thought he'd simply black out. The Ravager had only felt pain like that a few times in his life. When his crest had been cut away was one of them. At least that had been localized. So, he braced there against the brown soil.

The muscle up his arms trembled and ticked as the cramp eased slightly. With jaw aching from being clenched, he tried again. A little at a time. Yondu finally managed to get his feet under him. Not without struggle or pain, but it was something. At least there was that. She could have warned him that he'd feel like he'd literally been ripped apart.

The Captain gathered the items that had scattered around him slowly, body sluggish. Tucking away his only possessions into his coat pockets he decided it might be wise to move. At the very least it would relax the stiffness in his muscles.

Upon first glance, the planet reminded him of one he had taken Peter to as a boy. Golden fields stretched out before him and melted on the horizon into greens. That planet had two suns though. This one - so far as he could see- only had one. Being stuck somewhere unfamiliar wasn't the most ideal situation. He supposed that there wasn't much to complain about though. You know, not being dead was nice.

One calloused blue palm brushed across the fox tail ends of the golden grass and he frowned. The first few steps were a little shaky. He moved a lot like a newborn . After stumbling around for a little bit, Yondu managed to set off. The ground was horrendously uneven, and that made travel all the more troublesome. It slowed his pace considerably and by the time he had reached the edge of the field the sun had nearly fallen beyond the line of the sky. All he wanted at that point though was a formal understanding of where he was. So he pressed on.

By the time he found signs of life, the sun was gone and night had set it's path across the sky. A small, boxy building with light spilling from squared windows. It was in that moment that he realized, quite suddenly, where he was. This was Terra. That realization made him hesitate. There would be no chance of blending in here. Well, not that he really could anywhere else either, but still. Terra was perhaps the worst place for him to be, just short of a Kree home-world.

Before he could turn himself around and try to find the cloaked woman, a sudden rush of exhaustion fell over him. With it came an unfamiliar light headedness. Yondu stumbled, vision swimming dangerously. Losing consciousness right here, at this very spot, was going to get him put on an exam table. That didn't seem to phase his body too much though. The world tilted and he canted forward as the ground rose up to meet him all too quickly. Then darkness took him.

There was no definition in the turning of the dark. The Centaurian found nothing in the form of solidity. Only endless black. It reminded him of space though. Dark. Cold. Unending. He floated there with no perception of time. Not even memories to keep him company. Instead Yondu was left to consider all the possibilities of where he'd find himself when he woke. If he woke. Was that even an option? It would be one hell of a practical joke on Death's part. Could he call that a cock tease?

The most likely outcome though was far less pleasant. There were horror stories of Terra. It was part of the reason no one bothered with it any more really. Too much risk. No one wanted to end up under a knife. He sure as hell didn't. As if being a Kree slave wasn't bad enough, he didn't need someone digging around in his insides. Already had more than his share of scars thanks.

He did eventually wake. With all those thoughts turning circles in his mind, Yondu was just waiting to feel that bite of steel. Terrans could be ruthless and cruel. He didn't think his Terran was cruel. Then again that could have been him playing favorites. Or maybe he'd just lucked out. Either way he was coming around fully expecting hell. Instead, he found himself resting in a bed. The room was quiet, and beyond a few little details here and there it seemed unused. At least he wasn't in a cell.


	3. Space Man

Yondu's attention lingered and the lazy turn of the fan overhead. So, someone had found him. Someone who obviously must have been blind or something. Why else wouldn't he be bound to the bed or something? Beyond the door with its slant of light falling through a marginal crack, he could hear someone moving around. A gentle shuffle rather than heavy footfall. The floor creaked quietly as they moved down the hall and the Centaurian waited almost anxiously.

When the slanted fall of light was obscured, the captain held his breath.

She was preceded by that shaft of light broadening and casting across the bed where he lay. Pretty blue eyes and long blonde hair. There was something familiar in her face, but he struggled to place it. Yondu lay motionless, despite the fact that ruby eyes were memorizing her posture and expression.

" So you are alive." Her voice carried a twang he'd never really heard, even thicker than Kraglins. Still dazed, the ruby eyed male tried to sort himself.

" Suppose you don't speak English…" the woman pressed those pouty lips into a frown.

Yondu may have been able to answer if he wasn't entirely perplexed by her calm. This Terran acted as though she had found a regular man unconscious in her driveway.

"Look mister," the woman started, " I don't want any trouble. But you were in my drive and weren't responsive"

" I speak Terran. " The Centaurian managed, voice rough and graveled. He watched the smile bloom over her face.

"Good! We can understand one another!" Pretty white teeth flashed his way briefly. It still baffled the Ravager Captain that she was so happy to have a stranger in her house. Injured or not. He frowned at that thought.

" Yah don't seem too concerned bout the way I look…" Yondu accused.

The blonde pursed her lips at him again. " You ain't from here, but you still needed help."

He nodded. There was a lot he needed. Help covered most of them.

"So long as you ain't goin to hurt me, then I can help," The Terran female still hadn't moved from the doorway as though she were ready to make a break for it. She watched him with keen blue eyes though.

" How'd yah know I wouldn't hurt yah?" Yondu lifted his brow and his head tilted slightly to one side. Her teeth flashed at him yet again, " Can't hurt anything when you're unconscious."

" Alright, Spoke yah dragged me in here on yer own then." It was a statement more than it was a question as she came further into the room finally. The blonde just winked at him.

" A magician never tells their secrets," She told him as she strode with confidence across the room.

The crimson eyed man watched as she dipped her hand into a bowl near the bedside. The sound of water dribbling back on itself only reminded him how dry his throat was.

" You were burnin' up somethin' fierce. Mumblin' and shakin'."

Udonta did his absolute best not to flinch when she pressed that cool, wet cloth against his brow. It soothed the pounding in his head just enough.

" Pretty sure I'm 'sposed tah be dead," he grunted.

"Well sir," a frown turned the corners of her mouth down, " I think you're very much alive."

Another long quiet set between them. Crimson eyes followed her movement as she cleaned away sweat from his neck and face. The cloth was dipped in the cool liquid, squeezed out, and she folded it against his brow. Pale locks fell across her shoulder and she insistently pushed them back again as she fussed. After a good stretch of time had passed, she spoke again.

" Do you have a name? Or am I just calling you Space man?"

" Yondu Udonta…"

Rising, the woman glanced down at him again with that cool gaze, the bowl of water now tucked against her hip under one arm.

" Well Mister Udonta, I don't know where you came from but you're welcome to stay till you're back on your feet. You can call me Meredith."

That name struck a chord in him and Yondu found himself distracted. Meredith slipped away and out the door without so much as another word.

The soft done of the fan overhead turning didn't do much to quiet the sound of her moving around somewhere beyond the closed door. Meredith. He knew that name. But knowing that name didn't make a lick of sense, seeing as the person that name belonged to was long gone. Udonta groaned quietly and lifted his heavy hand to cover his eyes as his head spun. At least this time the Centaurian didn't pass out! That was an achievement to be sure.

Quills mother was named Meredith. Of course he could assume there were thousands of Merediths on this planet. It just felt a bit too strange to let the subject. Maybe he really was dead. That begged the question though, would he of earned his place in that afterlife? Not likely. Yondu lay there with his own thoughts until he simply couldn't take it any more. Swinging his legs over the bed he grumbled to himself. Everything felt as though it were weighed down. Clumsy. Even so, the Ravager knew he needed to move, less his body go stiff once more.

A fight to the door had him walking at least halfway normal, and when it came open, he was assaulted by the smell of something that made his stomach growl. Now or never. Taking a breath to prepare himself for what he could only imagine might be an awkward situation, Yondu started down the hall.


	4. Answers and Pancakes

The house was small, but it was warm and smelled pleasantly of food. Nothing like the Eclector. Almost the direct opposite. The ship was usually cold besides the bunks and the engine room. And it smelled most often of metal and oil. Occasionally Tullk burned something that made it smell like a monk's temple in places but it still wasn't like this.

There were photos on the walls. The woman and her family. As he examined them he found no hints of a child. No Ego. It seemed a little strange. In one there was a man that did not seem to quite fit in but he put that to the back of his mind as he finally made the room where she lingered. Yondu paused in the doorway, if only to observe her for a quiet moment. She was almost dancing across the floor, humming a tune he'd heard from Peter on more than one occasion.

After a few moments, he cleared his throat a little to tell her he was there. Meredith turned her attention towards him if only for a moment. The Captain watched that grin curl over her features again.

" So mister Yondu," She made a motion towards the table where he could sit, " How did you get here?"

His mouth pulled into a hard line as he thought about what to say. It wasn't like he knew exactly what had happened. He was dead one moment and waking up here the next. It seemed a rather perplexing scenario. The Terran waited expectantly.

" Don't know…" He finally relented. He really didn't. "One minute I'm sayin goodbye teh my boy, the next I'm here…" Yondu made a vague motion around himself, his frown only growing deeper.

" You have a son?" that seemed to perk her up a bit.

Nodding, he intoned, " well, adopted in a way. Still loved him like mine. 'S name is Peter…"

The name was dropped between them almost casually. Something that would get a rise from her maybe. He was looking for answers without being obvious. Ruby eyes watched her quietly.

" Always like the name Peter. I used to dream about naming my son that," Her smile had grown but at the same time it seemed almost to have weakened.

He could only hum.

" And why aren't yeh freakin out over an alien in yer home?" Yondu tilted his head a little.

" Simple. You aren't the first one I've met."

That took him by surprise. There was no signs of Ego having ever been here. Was he wrong? Her statement about the name told him that Peter wasn't born yet, maybe not even conceived. So was this stranger Ego? Before he could inquire further, she answered his unspoken question.

" His name was Json. Looked nothing like you. Pretty human actually. But he fell from the stars. A ruler on a planet called Spartax." A dreamy look passed over her features. "He left without warning. That was ages ago. I'm sure he had something important to take care of. I can't imagine a king would be able to spend much time away from his throne," She mumbled and paused at the stove. Meredith seemed to lose herself for a moment. Somewhere in there she was chasing memories. Fleeting images that left light trail in their wake and blinked across the expanse of her mind like fireflies.

Yondu observed the small crease of her brow and the way the corners of her mouth twitched downward. Emotion played so delicately on her pretty face. Peter got that from her, at least he did when he was younger. He'd learned a pretty good poker face over the years. Meredith shook herself out of it when she realized she was still cooking. The pan had begun to sizzle against the stove top. She said nothing, fussing for a long moment to pour batter into the heated pan. Yondu was content to just watch her.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled quietly, " I get so frustrated."

" Don't be," Yondu shrugged a little bit. Meredith put a smile on for him and soon she carried over a plate with a small stack of pancakes.

" It's not much, but I'm sure you're hungry." A glass container of syrup was placed down on the table as well. The Terran woman shuffled back to the stove to take up the last two onto her own plate before coming to join him at the table.

The Centaurian couldn't help his perplexed expression. Not Ego. That was a relief. Well, he supposed he was lucky to have ended up in her field. What were the chances? Almost as though it had been done on purpose. Was this even the same woman? If it was, then what was this place? For every answer he got, three more come up in its place. It was near infuriating.

Terran food was a weakness. Especially pancakes. Peter used to demand them. It had taken them a while to find how to make them but it was enough to keep the boy happy. Yondu wouldn't have admitted it then, but he liked them too. So when she sat herself down, the Centaurian smothered the fluffy cakes in syrup and dug in. At least the food made sense. Now he just had to figure out how to make everything else make sense too.


	5. Stranger

Yondu didn't exactly have the best table manners. It wasn't really a big deal when you lived on a ship full of half wild pirates. No one really gave a damn how you ate so long as you didn't touch their food. They ate in silence, relatively comfortable to just mind their own. At least until she decided she wanted more answers.

" You don't remember how you got here?" her question drew him out of his own thoughts.

Meredith had put her plate in the sink and was once more moving across the kitchen towards him.

" I meant it when I said I'm 'sposed to be dead…" the captain relented, " yah don't survive that long in the vacuum…" If they got you in time, sure. Peter had proven that, like an idiot. The unfortunate memory of his most loyal crew being sent out the airlocks was almost enough to make him cringe.

" Vacuum?" the Terran woman frowned in confusion.

" "We blew up a …" A Planet. But you couldn't just say you blew up a planet! He didn't want her thinking that he'd gone and just destroyed a planet with life on it or anything! It wasn't like that.

" We blew up a base where a real bad guy did unspeakable things," he glanced away, " I gave my boy the only suit…"

He didn't know how long it had been, or if time was even passing the same here as it did there. Yondu didn't think it mattered. He wasn't part of that universe any more, or whatever you wanted to call it. The captain watched the expression of contemplation settle in, then her face lit with realization. " You sacrificed yourself for your son?"

He nodded quietly. Putting it that way made him feel weird. It had been the right thing to do. It wasn't like he hadn't lived a full life. The Centaurian would say he'd lived a pretty damn good life. It would have made an interesting book. In the end, every choice he'd made had been for Peter. That's what it meant to be a father.

" A very honorable thing to do," she hummed softly, " Someone must be looking out for you…" The extended pause made him drift again into the hazy tangle of his own thoughts, but thankfully it didn't last too long.

" Now, how did you get here?"

The Ravager lifted his shoulders. That, he was still working out for himself. "Some lady in a cloak said it was a second chance. But I don't think things are the same here." Couldn't be. She'd been with a man named Json. Not Ego. There was no child in the picture. Surely her name was merely a coincidence.

After a moment's hesitation he glanced up at her, " yer last name ain't Quill, is it?"

Now, there were a whole number of reactions she could have had. He'd guess that maybe she'd start asking if he knew this Json fellow. There were a few other reactions his mind played out for him too and none of them were particularly pleasing.

She withdrew a little bit. That reaction was enough to answer his question.

Yondu let out a slow breath. So there were parallels but it wasn't exact. Weird. That friendly look was gone. The Centaurian stood slowly, trying to appear nonthreatening, " I'll figure my way out of here."

Meredith moved away as he left the room. Damn it. Going out to yell at the cloaked mirage of a woman from earlier probably would not help his cause. So, the Ravager took himself to the room he'd woken in hoping that he might puzzle up some sort of answers. Anywhere that he wasn't bothering was good. Mostly. Yondu just hoped she didn't come up the steps with a gun or something. He didn't have his Yaka to protect him here. That thought made him shiver.

There had never been a moment in his life that he'd been without the gold arrow. He'd been sure to keep it close at all points in time after Stakar had offered it over to him. It had been his prize. A mark of his survival. The one piece that had come off that Kree ship that would never belong to anyone else. His last tie to a people he would never know. He supposed it was better than nothing. Yondu could get by with that. The Yaka arrow had become his signature. He was feared because of it. Years of use and reputation. Now? Just thinking about the fact that it wasn't in it's place at his side or even hanging behind the door, Yondu grew uneasy. Not defenseless. But almost naked.

It was the next day that she made an appearance. Late in the afternoon. Her blue eyes were filled with determination. The Centaurian startled when the door snapped open, she strode in, and it bounced shut behind her. " You're going to explain yourself."

It wasn't a question.

" Yeh ain't gonna lie it…" he sat up a bit.

" I don't care! You're a stranger in my house I've never met, and you know me. I can see it in your face," Meredith stated sharply.

"I don't know yah. I know of yah," Yondu corrected and she gave a sound of frustration.

"You share that name with the man I gave my life for," he grunted bluntly.

Blonde hair swung about her shoulders a bit as she shook her head, " don't lie! I don't know anyone named Peter!"

" I raised that boy fer damn near twenty two years! I know who I'm talkin about!" He snapped, " and in all those years he ain't never shut up 'bout his mama. Meredith Quill." The woman faltered a little. Her brow was furrowed over those blue eyes that reminded him of Peters.

" Now sit down. This could take a while," One blue nailed finger pointed to a nearby chair. Meredith obliged, slowly taking the seat he had indicated.


End file.
